Friends from England inspired this Brookline couple’s vision of a beautiful English Cottage style garden. With limited space and a recently constructed three-season room and patio, it was time to convert their backyard into a vibrant, lush, and free-flowing oasis. They wanted color and blossoms for as much of the year as possible. Despite a fair amount of shade, we modified the soil and planted a combination of shrubs, grasses, perennials and vines. A Japanese Cutleaf Maple now provides beautiful red foliage during the summer and fall, and a substantial weeping Norway spruce poses like a sculpture against the garage wall.

To create some privacy from their next door neighbor, we guided climbing hydrangea vines to grow into a living, open fence. We also built a vine-supporting trellis on the garage wall to soften its look, providing a visual break.

A natural stepping stone path made of Pennsylvania fieldstone meanders throughout the garden; an addition we installed to facilitate both garden maintenance and garden appreciation for the client and their guests.

Developing a plan together with the client, we also learned of serious water management concerns in their sloped driveway. We installed a permeable driveway with linear pavers, contrasting the brick look of the house and alleviating the washout conditions the couple had faced.

The grace and charm of this English garden perfectly complemented the beautiful view of the Boston skyline from the client’s patio. And by incorporating a pair of the clients’ metal seats from Fenway Park, we made sure they still felt right at home.